It may now be Albania 's liveliest neighborhood , but a little over two decades ago it was n't even on the map .

A tight-knit grid of nightspots and restaurants in the middle of capital city Tirana , the district has become an emblem of Albania 's slow lurch away from economic ruin .

New bars appear almost daily and at weekends streets and sidewalks are packed with locals and tourists looking for a big night out .

Few places , if any , have undergone such a dramatic facelift .

At the end of the '80s Albania , under the totalitarian regime of Enver Hoxha , was one of the planet 's most isolated states .

No one was allowed to travel outside the country and thousands were held in secret gulags . Beards were banned , as were the religions they were thought to represent .

The Block -LRB- ` Ish-Blloku ' in Albanian -RRB- was Hoxha 's refuge . Armed guards stood on every street corner and ordinary citizens were kept out .

On most maps the Block was unmarked .

`` If you could compare it , Albania was like North Korea is today , '' says Enno Bozdo , Tirana 's deputy mayor .

Rainbow revolution

At the center of it all sat Hoxha 's private villa , a squarish , peach-colored mansion surrounded by palm-lined gardens and fountains . The Block was a silent stronghold of Albania 's elite .

But when the regime were routed in 1992 elections , the Block sprang into life as Tirana 's mayor urged inhabitants to grab the first paint pot they could find and soak the city 's gray walls in color .

Around the Block , entire towers now display the bright greens , purples and pinks of this rainbow revolution .

At street level too , the neighborhood is almost unrecognizable .

Dozens of cafes , bars and restaurants have made it Tirana 's premier nightspot . Everywhere there are references to the West -- especially the U.S. , whose brand of free-market capitalism Albania has adopted with varying degrees of success .

One example is Duff , a diner inspired by Homer Simpson 's drink of choice , where Yankees caps and varsity pennants line the walls and skinny-jeaned Tiranans play table football .

After living in Connecticut for three years , owner Ledion Ilo wanted to return to Albania and build something from scratch .

The Block was his perfect opportunity .

`` This was all different , '' he says . `` It was all gardens , you could n't go in . It was Albania 's internal border . ''

Ilo and his brother built everything , from chairs and tables to a giant screen for sports made from dust sheets and wooden pallets . On big nights tables are booked in advance , even for drinks . Duff just ran its first beer pong tournament : 28 teams competed .

Elsewhere there are open-plan outdoor clubs where foreigners dance to thumping house music until the early hours . There are coffee shops where the staff call themselves baristas and care a little too much about coffee beans .

Almost all of The Block 's venue 's names are in English , a detail that irks some locals .

`` English is a way to look trendy , '' says Rudina Hoxha , a journalist . `` Youngsters say phrases like , ` it 's nice to be in love ' and ` you 're sexy ' in English . It 's a bit stupid . We seem to prefer the Western world more than our own country at times . ''

Others gripe that The Block 's meteoric change has gentrified it beyond the means of most locals . Rents in the city are usually pegged at about $ 250 per month . In the Block it 's twice that .

Drinks are still pretty cheap by Western standards at about $ 1.50 for a local beer , and dinner in most places costs roughly 600 Albanian lek , or $ 6 .

In a city where the average monthly salary is around $ 450 , however , it 's enough to price most out of the neighborhood .

That 's partially because Albania 's huge diaspora , many of whom fled when communism gave way to rampant crime and corruption in the early '90s , has begun to return .

Kris is an 19-year-old American whose family returned to Tirana from Michigan last year .

Pristine beaches

`` I like it here , '' she says . `` People here are used to drinking a bit more so they do n't really go over the limit . It 's strange that The Block is where all the communist leaders lived -- it 's a little ironic . ''

Foreigners , too , are beginning to erase Albania 's well-worn `` best-kept-secret '' label .

In 2007 a shade more than a million people visited the country . By 2011 that had climbed to more than 2.7 million .

Tourism now accounts for 11 % of Albania 's GDP thanks partially to its stunning , mountain-studded landscapes and pristine beaches .

The country is also one of Europe 's sunniest . `` We wanted to see Albania because not many people back home know anything , '' says Alexei , a French backpacker cycling to Istanbul through the Balkans .

`` Here we can still discover . It 's great : the people are young and nice . ''

Bozdo is glad that today 's generation , local or not , knows little of The Block 's past and its former denizens .

`` It 's impossible to understand what that regime was like without living in it anyway , '' he says .

Some aspects of The Block 's regeneration give him cause for concern -- notably Hoxha 's old villa , which is scheduled to open as a museum this year .

`` Unfortunately there has been a surge in the myth of the dictator recently , '' he adds .

`` It could be fancy to have the villa used to tell people what happened here before the '90s , but you run the risk of making it a cult and keeping that myth alive . ''

Whatever happens to the villa , The Block has undeniably seen an extraordinary transformation , and each night it throngs with partygoers .

There 's tons to see but Tirana 's best asset , say guidebooks , is its people . If that 's true then a trip to The Block should be top of any traveler 's list .

Recommendations :

For coffee : Radio Cafe Tirana . A trendy joint filled with old wireless sets and many of the city 's young laptop brigade . Good to hang with friends or enjoy the kind of multisyllabic blends that get splashed all over Pinterest .

Radio Cafe Tirana , Rruga Ismail Qemali , P. 29 , Ap . 1 , Tirana ;

For drinks : Duff Bar . Yes , its theme might be cheesier than cheddar sandwich , but Duff is packed most nights and it 's a great spot for people-watching in the heart of The Block .

Duff Bar , Rruga Brigada VIII , Tirana , +355 694 03 4376

For dinner : Il Gusto . This Mediterranean location is at the higher end of the pay scale , but the food and extensive wine list are worth it . Good for a romantic meal beside the madness .

Il Gusto , Rruga Donika Kastrioti , pas Kullave Binjake , Tirana ; +355 422 780 75

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Now a nightlife hotspot , the Block was once the refuge of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha

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The area in the Albanian capital Tirana is filled with dozens of cafes , bars and restaurants

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Some complain the area has been gentrified beyond the reach of locals